The Best Book About Women’s Running!

Yes, there are so many amazing books about running. I’ve read all the popular titles from Scott Jurek, Haruki Murakami and Dean Karnazes through to Chris McDougall and Lizzy Hwaker (and more). Each one of them tells different story, talks about different achievement, offers different angle. Some I liked more, some gave me what I needed at that point. But there is one, a special one that got me into ultrarunning. The one that changed my running, my career and my life. The one that brought new friends and amazing people into my life. If I hadn’t read it I would probably have never met my boyfriend Paul and so it will always have a special place in my heart and on my bookshelf. Thanks Dean Karnazes for writing it, for meeting me and for signing it for Paul.

It was Dean’s first ever book. I read it in 2013.

The Women’s Running Bible

In June 2017 I read a new book. Another one about running but not an ordinary one. A special one. The best one? I think so.

Yeah completely – it’s a very subjective opinion because I’m a woman and this book is about women’s running and it’s written by a woman. But it’s a pure gold. It’s the bible, our bible of running, women’s running. No prescriptions how to run, no training plans, this book is about the birth of women’s running. A must read for every girl and woman.

It tells the story of women’s running through the eyes of a woman, a very brave women who on 19 April 1967 dared and crossed the line of the Boston marathon. Kathrine Switzer. 50 years ago women’s running was nowhere. She changed that.

“Running created her and she created running”

As Bart Yasso nicely put it;

Fifty years ago Kathrine opened the door and literally thousands of women ran through.

It’s beautifully written. It leaves you wanting to read it 24/7. Her stories, both from personal and professional life are captivating and inspiring. She talks about the small things such as the problems with running clothes and what she used to wear for her runs and races back then. There were no fancy and high tech performance clothes like we have today. No compresion gear or even running shorts or t-shirt for women. Nada. How on earth did women run? I asked myself the same question. Well, Kathrine will tell you exactly how and more.

Really go and read it. Education and entertainment in a one, in a 414-page book.